Pittsburgh Tree Identification

Some of the common deciduous woody species that populate our parks and their identifying traits.

1.     Red Maple (Acer rubrum)

·       Leaf Identification: opposite, simple, smaller than most other maples, 3-5 lobes, coarsely toothed edge, stem usually red, significant fall color- red/orange/yellow

·       Bud characteristics: opposite bud arrangement, broad, blunt pointed, red

·       Other winter identifiers: slender and straight twig growth with red coloration, smooth gray bark on young trees

·       Fun Fact: The technical term for the winged seeds, or ‘helicopters,’ is samara. This adaptation helps disperse the seeds further than its wide canopy in the spring.

Dogwoods (Cornus florida and C. kousa)

·       Leaf Identification: opposite, simple, smooth or wavy margins, pinnate curving veins run parallel to edges, underside lead pale green to white, red fall color

·       Bud characteristics: opposite bud arrangement; C. florida has round and flat-topped flower buds (onion shape), leaf buds cat claw shape

·       Other winter identifiers: spreading/horizontal branching habit, green or purple colored twigs with upswept look, grey-brown bark

·       Fun Fact: The state tree and flower of Virginia.

2.     Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera)

·       Leaf Identification: alternate, simple, tulip-shaped outline, long stem, 4-6”, smooth margins, 4 pointed lobes, yellow fall color

·       Bud Characteristics: alternate arrangement, long “duck bill” shape, purple-reddish

·       Other winter identifiers: retain brown tulip-like seed cones, single trunked with upswept branches, mature bark has distinct ridges, young bark is smooth and somewhat striped, oval shape growth habit

·       Fun Fact: A fast growing tree with a deep root system that assists with erosion control. In the Magnolia family.

3.     London Plane Tree (Platanus acerifolia)

·       Leaf Identification: alternate, simple, palmate, long stalks, almost identical to sycamore but slightly smaller, 3-5 lobed, deeper lobes and fewer teeth than sycamore

·       Bud Characteristics: alternative arrangement, short and stout buds, reddish, the leaf stalk completely covers this bud when attached

·       Other winter identifiers: : zigzag twig growth, gray-brown and scaly bark, bark looks like sycamore, odds are what you think is a sycamore in a cultivated landscape (city, residential landscape) is actually a London planetree because it is tolerant of poor soil and pollution

·       Fun Fact: Lookalike of its relative the American sycamore, distinguishable from sycamore because it usually has 2-6 fruit balls per stalk compared to the single of the sycamore.

4.     River Birch (Betula nigra)

·       Leaf Identification: alternate, simple, pinnate, diamond shaped or triangular, doubly toothed leaves, small, short stalk, silvery underneath, emerge earlier in spring than most other birch

·       Bud Characteristics: alternate arrangement, small on slender twigs with a zigzag appearance, slightly hairy,

·       Other winter identifiers: often multi-trunked, vase-shaped and rounded crown, common in riparian areas, attractive exfoliating bark

·       Fun Fact: The flowers are called catkins, and the male and female catkins are separate on the same plant.

5.     Magnolias (Magnolia spp.)

·       Leaf Identification: alternate, simple, usually large, oblong to oval, smooth and often wavy edges

·       Bud Characteristics: alternate arrangement, large, hairy-silky, variety of colors- white, green, purple, gray

·       Other winter identifiers: usually smaller or medium sized, common in cultivated landscapes, silvery-gray smooth bark,

·       Fun Fact: They are thought to be one of the earliest known flowering plants. Beetles are their primary pollinators.

6.     Serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis)

·       Leaf Identification: alternate, simple, pinnate, fine toothed edges, round, dull green, orange-red fall color

·       Bud Characteristics: alternate arrangement, long and pointed,

·       Other winter identifiers: usually grown as shrub (multi-stem tree) but sometimes tree form, smooth pale-gray bark, vase-shaped growth habit

·       Fun Fact: Produce blueberry-like berries that are edible to both humans and a wide range of wildlife

7.     Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum)

·       Leaf Identification: opposite, palmately compound, large, 7 leaflets, broad leaflets with blunt tips, leaflets wider near tips, sharply toothed edges

·       Bud Characteristics: opposite arrangement, large, dark brown, sticky and shiny

·       Other winter identifiers: stout twigs, gray-brown bark, branches curved at tips, look on ground for the spiny husks of the fruit or sometimes persist on tree

·       Fun Fact: seeds are toxic but deer and squirrel can eat them; these large seeds look like chestnuts and are also called “conkers” which refers to a British game played with them.

8.     Kentucky Coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus)

·       Leaf Identification: alternate, bipinnately compound, very large leaves made of 5-9 pairs of leaflets that each have 6-14 oval subleaflets, yellow fall color

·       Bud Characteristics: alternate bud arrangement, small, red, and embedded in the twigs.

·       Other winter identifiers: greyish brown bark maturing to rough, textured and scaly with curved edges, arching branches give an irregular shape to the tree

·       Fun Fact:This cultivar, ‘Espresso,’ is a male cultivar which eliminates the “messy seed pods

9.     PawPaw (Asimina triloba)

·       Leaf Identification: alternate, simple, large, pinnate, pear-shaped, unpleasant smell when crushed, straight parallel veins

·       Bud Characteristics:  Alternate, purple-brown, flattened and curved

·       Other Winter identifiers: smooth brown bark with lenticels, pyramidal moderately dense, spreading, drooping branching

·       Fun Fact: tendency to sucker and colonize, edible fruit, needs more than one plant to cross pollinate

10.      Blackhaw (Viburnum prunifolium)

·       Leaf Identification: opposite, simple, pinnate, ovate, gark green, glossy, red-purple fall color

·       Bud characteristics: opposite bud arrangement, short-pointed leaf buds, flower buds are pointed with a bulbous base

·       Other winter identifiers: stems are smooth and stiff with short side stems

·       Fun fact: This is a native shrub to Pa and the fruit, which ripens in the fall, is edible

11.     Hawthorn (Crataegus viridis ‘Winter King’)

·       Leaf Identification: simple, alternate, pinnate, finely toothed, small, usually oval, sometimes slightly lobed, yellow-orange fall color

·       Bud characteristics: alternate, round or oblong, exposed fleshy reddish scales

·       Other winter identifiers: smooth gray/silver bark; bright red/orange fruit

·       Fun Fact: ‘Winter King’ is an excellent cultivar for the landscape because of it’s vase-shape form and beautiful fruit that persists in the fall and winter.

12.     Apple (Malus ‘Honeycrisp’)

·       Leaf Identification: simple, alternate, pinnate, toothed margins, oval to egg-shaped, small

·       Bud characteristics: alternate arrangement on stem, bud scales are overlapping like shingles on a roof

·       Other winter identifiers: tips of the twigs/stems are whitish fading to brown

·       Fun Fact: Produces sweet juicy fruit that’s yummy to eat!

13.     Blueberry (Vaccinium ‘Pink Lemonade’)

·       Leaf Identification: alternate, simple, lanceolate, bright orange to deep burgundy fall color

·       Bud characteristics: alternate, reddish, roundish with a pointed tip

·       Other winter identifiers: stems are yellow-green during the summer but change to red in the winter. This give the plant great ornamental value during winter.

·       Fun Fact: ‘Pink Lemonade’ is a cultivar that has pink fruit instead of the traditional blue colored fruit.